Valdez 1

The American Dream

The American Dream is a set of beliefs that with freedom comes prosperity, success, and

socio-economic mobility. This “dream” is rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which

states that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness. (Thomas Jefferson, 1) But American society has begun to question the attainability of

the American Dream. Although many Americans believe in the fulfillment of the American

dream through hard work, there is a limit placed on the extent to which the American Dream can

be achieved by minorities. Since the American system is heavily reliant on a system of hierarchy,

the success of those who are considered “inferior” is restricted by social and economic

inequality, unbalanced resources, and casteist institutions.

American institutions have made the American Dream unattainable by creating economic

inequalities. In “America’s Enduring Caste System", Isabel Wilkerson compares the status of

African-Americans in the US to that of the untouchables in the jati, the Indian subcaste system.

She states: “Similarly, African-Americans ... were relegated to the dirtiest, most demeaning, and

least desirable jobs by definition...primarily restricted to the role of sharecroppers and servants

— domestics, lawn boys, chauffeurs, and janitors.”(Isabel Wilkerson, 10) Black Americans were

confined to work in the worst jobs in America, limiting their ability to fulfill the American

Dream. Wilkerson uses parallel syntax to emphasize the limited opportunities available. People

of color are limited to certain types of employment and denied significant social and economic

mobility. Wilkerson elaborates: “They entered the North at the bottom, beneath Southern and

Eastern Europeans... who were permitted into unions and into better-served neighborhoods that

barred Black citizens... and unions blocked them from entire trades reserved for whites, such as
 Valdez 2
pipe fitters or plumbers.” (11) African Americans were not only restricted from certain jobs, but

they were excluded from economic resources. Wilkerson alludes to the late 1800s and the 20th

century, where immigrants were coming in large numbers. During this time, black Americans

who had lived in the US for many generations were left out of opportunities like unions. Thus,

they struggled to find quality jobs and economic stability.

Social inequalities and the belief in racial superiority limits the extent of success that

people of the “inferior” class can reach. Wilkerson presents the idea of casteism, a racial

hierarchy, and defines it as “the investment in keeping the hierarchy as it is in order to maintain

your own ranking, advantage, or privilege… [C]asteism can mean seeking to… remain in the

good graces of the dominant caste, all of which serve to keep the structure intact. (Wilkerson, 7)”

The belief in racial superiority results in the dominant caste doing everything to keep their

dominance. Wilkerson uses descriptive diction in “casteism is the investment in keeping the

hierarchy” to make it clear that it is a voluntary and conscious action taken to ensure a certain

outcome. This system is devoted to keeping the structure perfect and convince subordinates of

the dominant caste’s superiority. Similarly, W.E.B. DuBois points out that several inequalities

prevent the common black American from American advancement. DuBois explains:

“[I]ndustrial and common-school training were necessarily slow…while it is a great truth to say

that the Negro must strive and strive mightily to help himself, it is equally true that unless his

striving be not simply seconded, but...encouraged, by the initiative of the richer and wiser

environing group, he cannot hope for great success.” (W.E.B. DuBois, 9) Therefore, unequal

access to good education creates setbacks for the “lower” caste. The educational system has to

encourage and aid in the process of success both economically and socially. DuBois asserts that
 Valdez 3
though black Americans should strive to do better, their efforts are in vain if not seconded by the

richer and those in higher caste groups.

Some may argue that the American Dream is accessible to all. In the Atlanta

Compromise Speech, Booker T. Washington presented a solution to the racial tensions between

African Americans and white Southerners. He said “Cast down your bucket where you are …

Cast it down in agriculture, mechanics, in commerce, in domestic service, and in the

professions.” (Booker T. Washington, 1) Everyone has their area of expertise where they should

cast their buckets to prosper. Washington argues that African Americans need to use their skills

and repeats the phrase “Cast down” to emphasize settling for what they have. Therefore,

everyone has a skill that when developed and used correctly can help one obtain social mobility.

Although this idea may seem reasonable, it is flawed because in this period African Americans

were restricted from working in many job positions and limited to domestic jobs. He further

argues that African Americans should stop desiring social equality. He says “The wisest among

my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremest folly, and

that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of

severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing.” (Washington, 3) Social equality

should be put aside and economic progress should be prioritized. Although African Americans

experienced racial inequality, Washington argues that the struggle for progress and success in the

economic aspects will result in the granting of social and political privileges. By saying this,

Washington is arguing that constant struggle is necessary to experience progress, and only by

doing so, one can achieve the American dream. This is an incorrect statement because, without

political equality, African Americans are left out from experiencing privileges that help others

get an advantage.
 Valdez 4
Pre-existing economic, social, and political inequalities create a barrier that prevents

many Americans from fulfilling the American Dream. Many who have experienced social

mobility believe that with hard work and sacrifices all can achieve economic prosperity. But in

reality, the existing hierarchy, which Wilkerson calls a caste system, restricts the extent to which

one can obtain success. So the question continues to be: “Is it possible, and probable, that nine

millions of men can make effective progress in economic lines if they are deprived of political

rights, made a servile caste, and allowed only the most meagre chance for developing their

exceptional men?”(WEB DuBois, 6)